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Ship Combat clarification, guidelines, etc.
This aims to clarify the whole new "piece of shit ship class system that ruins rp and removes the fun by adding more strategy and gameplay variation" to some extent. Overall, ships should fill one main role and be very good at it, but require the support of other ships filling othe roles to be effective in medium/large scale ship to ship combat against the different variations of hostile ships they may face. Classes and Roles Ships should obviously be classified under one single name, and usually only fill one role. Exceptions might be made if there's a very good reason but its unlikely. Ship classes are almost always decided by the size of a ship. There is no definitive list of what size equals what class, but just use your best judgement. Ship roles are based mostly on what weaponry the ship is equipped with and what it is supposed to be effective against. 'Ship Classes' Fighters - Extremely fast and agile, can be deployed by carrier class ships or launch from bases. Very limited range capability, and ineffective individually. Best used in large groups where their numbers overwhelm possible defenses. Corvettes - Larger than fighters, but still very fast and maneuverable. Not very heavily armed or armored depending on the role of the corvette, usually outfitted for anti-fighter duties or harrassing cruisers. Also effective in numbers. Frigates '''- First class that fits into the category of "cruisers", usually don't handle as well as corvettes but are a bit more powerful overall. Can fill almost any role required. '''Destroyers - Larger than frigates but smaller than battlecruisers, they are usually purposed for assaulting battlecruisers and other large ships, but can fill almost any role required if necessary. Battlecruisers '''- Basically any combat built ship of moderate size and up. More of a general term for light and heavy cruisers, but they both are similar. Mostly meant to attack other battlecruisers or larger ships. '''Battleships - Despite being named similarly, they are usually much heavier and slower than battlecruisers. Most often outfitted to brawl with other moderately large cruisers. Sometimes might mount a main weapon. Carriers / Supercarriers '- Support ships with large hangers full of fighters and occasionally corvettes if they're large enough. Supercarriers are obviously just even larger carriers with more hangar space. Ineffective in direct combat. '''Dreadnoughts '- Larger than even a heavy battleship, often equipped with some type of main cannon capable of doing immense damage to on a direct hit. Largely effective at assaulting other large battleships and cruisers. 'Titans '- The biggest of the big, most likely really slow and really heavily armed and armored. Also would mount a main cannon with immense firepower, along with a large amount of turrets. '''Civilian / Other Non-Military Classes Freighters - Any ship that's mainly meant to carry large quantities of goods across space from point A to point B. Almost always the subject of pirate raids. Miners '''- Self explanatory, they mine resources off asteroids and sell them to other companies. Usually accompanied by freighters to haul the resources they mine. '''Shuttles / Civi Transports - Any ship that's main purpose is to carry people from one destination to another. Usually not very long distance unless accompanied with military protection. 'Ship Roles (WIP)' Note: 'The classes listed aren't restricted to the word, they're just general guidelines as to what class can usually mount what. If you really wanted to you could make a ship that fills a certain role despite not being on the suggested list. '''Note²: '''If there's any role missing or you want added then either add it yourself or tell Kiwi what to add. 'Multi-class Roles Artillery - Same role as in the real world, long range heavy bombardment. Very ineffective at close range due to the typically long reloads, slow turrets and large shells. Though, if they do hit up close then whatever they hit is in for a world of hurt. *Destroyers *Battlecruisers *Battleships *Dreadnoughts (unlikely) *Titans (even more unlikely) Missile '- Usually mid to long range bombardment as well. Often fitted with a large amount of missile silos of varying size, but usually unarmed besides that. Can engage at close range but its lack of direct fire makes it rather ineffecient. *Frigates *Destroyers *Battlecruisers *Battleships *Dreadnoughts (still unlikely) *Titans (ridiculously unlikely) '''Anti-Capital '- As the name implies, meant to dish out damage to cruiser class ships and up. Usually equipped with some type of main cannon but very few turrets. Very poor performance at combat with ships of the same class or smaller. *Corvettes *Frigates *Destroyers 'Stealth '- Plainly obvious, not meant to be seen by the enemy before its too late. Usually not very heavily armed or armored due to the stealth tech taking up space, but if fitted with proper weaponry and equipment they can be extremely deadly at close range. *Fighter *Corvette *Frigate *Destroyer *Battlecruiser (unlikely) '''Anti-Fighter/Flak - Usually only Corvettes and Frigates, the name tells it all. Equipped entirely with extremely effective flak or other anti fighter weaponry, their only purpose is to defend larger ships from pesky fighters and bombers. Heavier flak can also take down medium/large missiles. *Corvette *Frigate *Destroyer *Battlecruiser (probably not) "Brawler" '- Mostly only battlecruisers and larger ships, any type of ship that's meant to get right up with the enemy ships and exchange fire back and forth. Usually heavily armored and armed. Dreadnoughts and Titans can fill this role but they're more likely to be used at longer ranges with massive main weapons. *Battlecruiser *Battleship *Dreadnought *Titan '''Support '- Any type of ship that repairs, rearms, refuels, etc, combat ships already on the battlefield. Not really used much in the actual MERP but I thought I'd add it here anyways. They dont really fit the classes since they're unarmed, but they'd most likely range from destroyer size to frigate or corvette size. '''Fighter Specific Roles Interceptor - A category of fighters that're probably the fastest ships in numbers fielded in combat. Their extreme speed means they're usually very weak and not very heavily armed. Mostly purposed for taking out hostile fighters to keep larger ships safe. Bomber '- Another varient of fighter craft, purposed to attack larger ships or ground targets with some type of heavy ordinance, whether it be missiles, heavy cannons or actual bombs. Much slower and less agile than a regular fighter but still very maneuverable compared to cruisers. '''Fighter '- Typical generic, fast, tiny craft. Capable of both attacking other fighters and larger ships in numbers, though they're ineffective on their own. Ship Support / Combat Clarification / Examples (ALSO WIP) '''Example 1: Fighters vs Cruisers In the first example, the blue cruiser represented by the C, is being attacked by a swarm of red fighters. Since the fighters can out-maneuver the cruiser, and the cruiser is all on its own, it would make an easy kill for the fighter swarm. However, if the blue cruiser did have Anti-Fighter support, as in the second picture, the fighters would stand little chance at taking all three of them out successfully. Larger cruisers require the support of Anti-Fighter capable ships to defend against hostile groups of fighter craft. Example 2: Carriers and other indirect combat ships In the second example, the red Carrier has sent several fighter squads to engage the blue forces. However, the blue frigates happen to be Anti-Fighter, which would most likely make the fighter assault a complete failure. If the reds fighter swarm did get taken out by blue flak frigates, the red cruisers would be outnumbered by the blues and most likely be taken out. The carriers only option at the point would be to run away or surrender, (or kamikaze like a douchebag if you're that kinda guy) because carriers are incapable of direct attack. Category:Metagame Category:Outdated